I am teaching a class at a camp right now.  I thought it would be neat to print out a list for each of them of 20 things that make chess a really cool game (better than other games & just neat in general).

I thought you guys could help!  I'm asking for 200 but I'll probably narrow down to 20 or maybe if there are too many good ones to choose from, 25.

Here's a couple to start :

1. Longevity!  Chess has been around 1,500 years & people will still be playing it for hundreds more.  Think about your favorite video game, chances are almost no one will be playing it even 10 years from now.

2. Age doesn't matter!  I've played against (and lost to) 74 year old men & 12 year old girls.

3. Anatoly Karpov

You can play anywhere... a park, a car, a train, a plane, a bus, etc.

You can play online.  (Try playing football or softball online.)

There is no shortage of literature on the game.  More books have been written on chess than all other games combined.

It costs nothing to play, once you purchase a chess set.  (Try going to a golf course and playing golf for free.)  And a chess set will last you a lifetime.

The rules are the exact same, all over the world.  (Unlike, say poker, where everyone has their own house rules.)

Language is not a barrier.  You can play a game with someone who does not speak your language at all.

More later... as they come to me.

Mental superiority. FTW.

Sex doesn't matter... a woman can compete on the same level as a man.

Because there are no shortages of places to play online, you can get a game 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Today's chess engines are so strong, using one is the equivlaent of having a grandmaster at your side, to help in analyzing a position.  (Computer Go programs, for example, are still very weak at that game.)

The strongest chess engines available, and the interfaces to use them, are free.

It's been shown that chess develops memory, concentration, imagination &  creativity, and logical thinking.

Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make man happy.  (- Savielly Tartakower)

The number of possible, unique chess games is far greater than the number of electrons in the universe!  (That can probably be considered "cool.")

1.unlike teamsport you have no one to blaime for your mistake. this may not sound like a cool thing but having said that you are more free to creativity since no one will blaime you for doing something risky.
2.chess makes you learn to think about decision even when you are not playing chess.
3.you don't have to shower after chess and you don't have to change clothes to play chess
4.celebrities play chess.
5.it may increase your job changes if you apply for a job and if the company google you and find chess sites instead of parties.
6. if you learn blind chess you don't even need a chess board
7. you can always learn more about chess
I wrote some things that have not been mentioned in no order.

Bobby Fischer is enough as to why chess is "cool".

A rating system has been developed that has been proven to be a very accurate measure of your performance/strength.  Prior to playing a game, you can estimate your chances of winning,  just by comparing your rating to that of your opponent.  (Try doing this with, for example, Monopoly, or poker.)

chess takes a minut to learn - but a life time to master.
you can play it anytime. for fun, serious fight.
you fight against yourself to eliminate errors.
you can play against players at any level at tournaments.
you can travel to any country and enter a tournament.

Bad knees do not end your career.

Each game is an epic medieval battle with you being the sole commander of your forces.

even the strongest computer in the world ever or best math genius can understand chess fully. I think this is one of the coolest thing about chess. That it hasn't been solved fully. you can still come up with a novelty.
you move might be as good as any even if a computer tells otherwise.

you are right I typed to quickly I meant cannot, it wouldn't be cool if the computer knew how to play perfect. or a math scientist could write a formula and pick the best move.

There's no dice, so there's no chance involved.  It's just your knowledge against theirs.